“The tomb may be empty, but my heart is full.” That was the last line in a short video that we watched at our Easter Sunday service (preview it here.) The point of that statement is not that the tomb being empty is unimportant – the resurrection is a crucial truth of Christianity. Instead, the point is that the resurrection is not simply a truth that Jesus is alive, resurrected from the dead. It means that he is not only alive, but also that he lives in the hearts of his followers. JESUS HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD The resurrection of Jesus is more than an objective historical fact that can be debated. It is debated, and we looked at some of the arguments why alternative stories to explain Jesus’ missing body did not make sense. The debate over the historical resurrection of Jesus is much stronger than many people give it credit. See, for example, the book Who moved the Stone by Frank Morrison (pseudonym) where investigative journalistic method was employed by a sceptical writer to test the claims of Christianity. He concluded that Jesus did indeed rise again from the dead. YOU TOO CAN LIVE FOR ETERNITY The resurrection of Jesus also isn’t just about the fact that believers will be resurrected again to live for eternity with God, after they die. That is true, and it is a wonderful blessing to know that believers will be with God, and be with their loved ones who have trusted in him also, and many others. JESUS LIVES IN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS The resurrection of Jesus is important in the present, not only because believers have a hope for the future, but because believers know the reality of lives that are changed here and now. The resurrection impacts our lives now by the work of the Holy Spirit within: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” (John 3:6, NLT) “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV 1984) We know that our old self was crucified with him … So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:6, 11). Praise God for Jesus resurrection in the past, the work of the Holy Spirit in the present, and the certain hope of eternal life with God for the future. “The tomb may be empty, but my heart is full.”